County retrains dispatchers to cut response times

GREEN BAY (AP) - One Wisconsin county has begun retraining its emergency dispatchers to reduce response times after a local fire chief said his department is too slow in responding to calls.

Press-Gazette Media reports that about half of the Green Bay Metro Fire Department's responses in December were slower than the industry standard of 90 seconds.

Part of the delay came from 911 dispatchers starting the response clock before sounding the alarm at the station, Chief David Litton said. But he also said county dispatchers spent too much time asking questions before sending responders to medical emergencies.

"Our guys are good people, and they work their butts off," Fire Chief David Litton said.

The county has started retraining dispatchers to sound the alarm faster and get firefighters more quickly out the door to emergencies. They will then gather information that they'll relay to responders en route.

"It definitely is a good change. It takes time to get those wheels turning," said Kurt Minten, president of the Brown County Fire Chiefs Association.

The new process will be implemented April 1 and be used with every fire department in Brown County.